Chapter 1
Moving On
Cretia woke covered with sweat. In her nightmare, Dannia had come back trying to kill her and take Toreen as her own. It was hard to say which part bothered her the most. She didn’t want to die, especially now when her life was the best it had been, ever. The only part lacking was her love life or rather the lack of it. It would kill her inside if Toreen built a relationship with Dannia, especially since no man survived her sister.
It was dawn, she could see the first fingers of light in the sky and hear the animals outside beginning to move around. The last scent of the hayweed’s sweet perfume still lingered in the air. It only bloomed at night, closing up to secure its fragrance and nectar during the day. Cretia used the sweet perfume adding it to her soaps and even making perfume from it.
The nectar was sweet and could be used like honey, but the amounts she could get from the plants was calculated in drops. That made it less than worthwhile. She’d found a hive of the creatures Dori called bees and it was easier to gather the sweet stuff they produced.
She was sure Toreen appreciated the things she did to improve life at his estate. Making an effort, she’d learned much from Dori and her daughters, especially Betty who knew so much about farming and herbs. Cretia dressed, it was too late to try to get more sleep this day. Her schedule was full and she’d get an early start on it.
Coffee had become a favorite in the household since she’d bought some and introduced it to the others. They were growing some of their own and hopefully it would take. “Good morning.” Cretia greeted those up before her.
They rented the extra rooms to make some money for Toreen’s devastated estate. Another idea she’d gotten from Dori. Everyone living here contributed to food and everyday needs and they all ate well. Better than the average person since she’d learned much about cooking from Dori.
A chorus of good mornings greeted her. “What will you cook for us today?” Fredden asked. His life was ruled by his stomach. He was one of the few that actually worked here. She’d managed to ease Toreen’s work load a little by finding some cash crops that grew well here. That allowed some workers to be hired.
“I thought a scramble might be well received.” Cretia replied. Today was first day, the start of most Draconian’s work week. Trying new foods today gave them something to look forward to. The group they had was a good one, no trouble makers here, thank the goddess.
She got to work and a few of her tenants watched with interest. Once the first large scramble was done, she added toast to each plate and handed it to the nearest person. All watched as the first taste was taken.
“This is delicious.” Barret informed.
Now she plated up all that was left and began on the next skillet of food. Breakfast and cleaning up after it took about an hour. The manor house was large and they had anywhere from twenty-five to thirty people staying there at any given time. That didn’t count his manager who stayed in the small hut nearby or the workers that lived elsewhere with their families. Cretia fed whoever showed up and that was usually whoever was close by.
The meal went well and she sent a plate of food to Toreen, because he never showed up for meals. She was sure it was his way of avoiding her. Cretia was saving money and soon, it would be her avoiding him, completely. Not that she intended to spend her money wastefully. She would be sure to keep a large amount saved back for emergencies. The hut was fine for just her and would do for a while. The money she received from her attackers went into an account and she had no intention of touching that for any but the most dreadful reason.
It was her theory Toreen only took her in because for some odd reason he felt responsible for her. If so, she’d paid him back by organizing his household and helping him and his people to a higher level of success. He might not even notice when she was gone.
Janeen was learning to cook and she also worked for Toreen’s household. Once she was just a bit better, Cretia would be gone. She still intended to keep her ties to Dori and the girls. They had turned out to be closer to her than her own family. Finally, she put away the last dish. Leftovers weren’t a problem, she never had any.
Now she went to the small office Toreen had assigned to her. She kept his books, but she had been training Tofar, a young relative Toreen had taken in and he was able to do the work that was necessary. Taking a page out of Dori’s book, as the Earth saying was, everything was set up automatically. All that had to be done was the amounts in his accounts put in and program did the rest.
Once she was done with her office work, she had an hour where she could do whatever she needed to. Today she went to the kitchen to set on a huge kettle of chicken and dumplings, Draconian style. She also got meatloaf started and in the oven, bread and biscuits baking, and several other sides and dishes started.
Dori was incredible and she could run a household better than anyone Cretia knew. By following Dori’s personal plan, she froze some meals ahead and refrigerated others. Tomorrow, she would serve the pancakes and sausage meal everyone loved, but Janeen would pull out the frozen meal and just heat it up.
That would give Cretia time to go to the woods and harvest all morning long. Lunch would be the chicken and dumplings with biscuits. If she wasn’t back in time to fix supper, one of the refrigerated meals would suffice. Now that Dori had told her what to harvest to make the most money, her earnings were incredible. Shallow root prices had gone up too because no one bothered with it anymore.
Cretia still harvested some, but only for use in their household. It was filling and made soups, stews, and other foods stretch farther. The roots when fried in butter were also good and a favorite. They were bland, but they took on the flavor of whatever they were added to or what was added to them. The rest of the day she spent cooking. It would have been enough for a month had she not had such a large group to cook for.
She’d asked Toreen to repair the second fireplace so she could have a second kettle to cook with, but he never seemed to get to it. Tired of waiting, she called Dori to have her bricklayer come to work for them for a day. Even though she didn’t plan to stay here, the place and many of the people had grown on her. The extra kettle would make things much easier for Janeen.
“Dori?”
“Yes, is this Cretia?” Dori asked and the pleasure at hearing from her was obvious. Why couldn’t she have had a mother like Dori?
“Yes, I wanted to ask if your stone mason was available.”
“You’re needing him? How soon?”
“Whenever he’s available. One of the fireplaces needs repairs and Toreen keeps putting it off.”
“Males are like that. I can send him in the morning. He prefers to do that kind of work anyway. How are you doing?”
“As good as always.”
“In other words, nothing’s changed?”
“There is nothing to change.” Cretia declared. No point in hoping for something that would never be. ”Thank you for sending him.”
“You know I’d try to help you any way I could?” Dori asked.
“I suppose nothing’s changed with you either?” Cretia asked feeling uncomfortable with the feelings Dori’s concern stirred.
“Betty will probably deliver first. She’s so big it’s scary. Bree and I will compete for second place. I’ll admit I’m ready to get the delivery over with, but once Garulto and I mated, things have been easier than my other pregnancies were. Having a handsome male to rub your back and feet makes all the difference in the world. He cooks for me too. The male is a keeper.”
“I’m happy for you.” Cretia said and she meant it. Even though she wished for some of that happiness for herself, she’d never begrudge Dori or her daughters what they had found.
They said their goodbyes and Cretia looked around to see what she could do now. It was close to lunch time so she prepared sandwiches and soup. Only part of the boarders were around for lunch. Mostly those that worked here or worked nights. That’s why she had breakfast for lunch twice a week. It was for those that wouldn’t have breakfast most of the time otherwise.
Today wasn’t one of those days, but in two days it would be. It would be odd for her to go back to the small hut after being here for weeks, actually a few months, among people she liked. These people liked her too, all but the one that mattered most. Life wasn’t fair and she’d given it her best shot. Cretia was practical. After trying this long it was clear Toreen had no interest in her.
Even though he knew she was his one, he resented her. Cretia had a schedule to keep. In a month she would be gone. Right now she trained others to do what she normally did. Once they took over, Toreen wouldn’t even know she was gone. By the end of a month or hopefully less, she planned to set things up to be easier for Janeen and Tofar so she could leave.
She’d also save up whatever funds she could to make things easier on herself. There was no reason for life to be as rough as it had been before. Dori had helped her to learn how to get the most out of her gathering. Bree, who had the heart of a warrior, had taught her how to make and use a sling shot. That ensured she could hunt the small birds that were always present in the woods near the hut she would soon live in again.
Now she would finish out today, then tomorrow she would gather herbs. The small coin sack she kept under the bed grew heavier each time she gathered. Her cooking grew more skillful every day and she had learned how to make belts from the tall grasses which paid well right now. It wouldn’t hurt to learn to make a few more items to keep the prices up.
Cretia had also met some males that went on the ship to Earth monthly. She traded with them for items like coffee and chocolate. She used those items for the household sometimes as a special treat.